Since the Summer Solstice, it’s been sunny and warm–just the way Summer should be! But, with a heat wave hovering about for a few weeks now, we could all use some relief! What better way to survive the heat than by reading some wonderful haiku from our archives which warmly reflect this Summertime occurrence!

You can practically feel the heat of the street and its buildings with this beautifully illustrated haiku poster from our 2010 Series. Illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Hee Soo Cho, the poster heartily reflects the glowing words of Michael McAnaney’s haiku.

Summer sun mirrors / a gallery of faces / Salina glitters

Lastly, we’d like to thank our readers for their responses to our last blog (see Haiku For a Summer Solstice). We received this delightful Summertime haiku from Yvonne Kovits (Little Falls 2018)–there’s no denying the music of Summer found her poem! Thanks, Yvonne!

At long last, it’s coming on Summer! From our archive of contributed haiku, we’ve found a few to highlight the return of this sunny season.

Spring flowers have faded, making way for bright Summer blooms. Everything’s comin’ up roses, too, as vividly described by Joan Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu (Syracuse), in her 2011 haiku:

A burst of petals flame red, melon, pale yellow Summer rose gardens

After a long Winter and wet Spring, neighbors are slowly emerging from their homes, greeting each other like old friends. Beth Miller (Auburn) skillfully creates such a scene in her 2015 haiku:

Warm friendly greetings Summer on South Geddes Street Flowers lead to porches

Outdoors, there’s the sound of lawns being mowed and the comforting smell of fresh cut grass. Green grass and Summer–there is nothing quite like it as Thomas Stock (Ft. Plain 2014) describes in his mirthful haiku:

The arrival of Summer also means weekends are suddenly booked with music festivals, sporting activities, sun gazing and weddings! Our featured poster from our 2004 Series notes this traditional season for wedding celebrations with a cleverly written haiku by Ralph Long, Jr. and a beautiful illustration by Elizabeth Couturier, former Syracuse University Illustration student.

In a Rose Garden / at the top of Campus Hill / wedding dresses bloom

Of course, Summer’s arrival also means construction season is underway everywhere you turn. When artfully expressed in a haiku, such as this one by Dianne Apter (Syracuse 2015), delays don’t seem quite as dreadful:

Summer highway rite Orange cones stretched forever A sea of detours

How do you welcome Summer? Write us a haiku in the Comments and we’ll publish it next time on our blog.

Every year, it seems, we assure ourselves that Autumn will be as colorful as the year before–our memory clearly remembering the rich Fall colors of years past. With such a dry, hot Summer of 2016, the theory was there’d be no color to witness this Fall. Thankfully, that didn’t happen! We think you’ll agree, this year, Autumn in Central New York has surely outdone itself what with its brilliant and long-lasting shades of red, red-orange, orange and golden yellow–even shades of mauve dressing the leaves of certain trees!

In fact, many of Central New York’s old, towering trees, some with their trunks draped in red kudzu, make for beautiful canopies along local byways and highways. Their striking colors, comforting in their familiarity, seem as warm as blankets! This feeling is delightfully described in Sally Lloyd’s (Cazenovia 2010) haiku:

I miss you most when the Autumn skyway sings with the calls of wild geese

Autumn–it is a season of color, earthy smells and the rustling sounds of leaves flying. What is your favorite sensory experience of this season? We’ve chosen only a few of the many beautiful haiku we have in our archives about Fall to share with you here–write us your thoughts in the comments below and we’ll share them in the next blog.

Around Central New York this year, Spring seems slow in showing up. Digging through our large archive of wonderful haiku, this 2013 poem by Joan Dear-Houseman (Chittenango) is striking in its description of how unhurried a start to Spring it’s been this year:

Mittens on my hands, Contradicts the month of May. Will Spring ever come?

The sudden demise of early Spring flowers saddened many of us…thank goodness for the brilliant cheer of our fine-feathered friends as depicted in this playful 2013 haiku by frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Sam Donnelly (Syracuse):

And, if you don’t see anything blooming brightly yet in your neck of the woods, look closer–as Robert Gaurnier (Syracuse) does in his illustrative 2003 haiku:

Ducks in Webster’s Pond dive under the Spring sunshine tail ends sprouting up

Still looking for Spring? Check your lawn, where crazy as it may sound, dandelions have already begun to seed! David Hitchcock (Fayetteville) vividly captures this disparaged Spring flower in his 2009 haiku:

Dandelions spring,disturb the tranquil green lawnwithcheeky yellow.

One of our lovely Spring posters comes from our 2014 Syracuse Poster Project series. The haiku was written by James & Barbara Yonai(Syracuse) in 2011 and illustrated by former Syracuse University illustration student, Emily Rhain Andrews, now a Vermont based freelance illustrator.

April. The word itself elicits all things Spring: April showers that bring May flowers, soft breezes and memories of April in Paris, cherry blossoms and lilacs, love poems and songs…think Simon & Garfunkel, April Come She Will and Frank Sinatra’s rendition of I’ll Remember April.

High walls of Spring snow Line the roads of the city. When will the tulips bloom?

April is also a month of celebration. In fact, Syracuse Poster Project is celebrating its 15th year! Bringing together community poets and Syracuse University artists and illustration students, Syracuse Poster Project creates an annual series of poetry posters which are hung in kiosks throughout downtown Syracuse. Be sure to catch our annual haiku-poster unveiling event on Thursday April 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Commons, 201 E. Washington Street.

April is also the start of fishing season and the first heady days of baseball season. We think you’ll agree that our featured Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster from our 2007 collection beautifully depicts an April scene. The haiku was written by poet Claire Bobrycki and illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Wei Hsing.

Grey skies got you feeling blue? Does it seem there’s not much more to Winter in CNY than the grey skies that tend to dominate our wintry landscape? Well, our frequent haiku contributors have offered up some colorful images that may cheer you up.

Besides white, of course, David Hitchcock’s (Fayetteville 2008) haiku reminds us of another familiar color we’ll find on a snowy day:

In the Salt City a yellow snow plow sows salt as our town grows cold

Our featured image, part of the 2013 Syracuse Poster Project collection, is a vibrant and rich reminder of all the color that can be found on a dreary Winter’s day. Illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Carolyn Glavin and poet, Janice Scully, this haiku poster is certain to cheer.